Why Leveraging Whistler Events Can Increase Your Reservations

Since the world’s attention was on Whistler for the Olympic Games in 2010, Whistler has been increasing the number of events hosted in the resort to position itself as not just a top ski resort destination, but a top resort destination year-round. The addition of several Whistler events in the summer time is now positioning the ski resort that hosts world class ski events as a world class resort that features numerous summer events for many different interests including running to mountain biking. For vacation rental owners, this means an opportunity to be not just a seasonal owner, but also an annual one.

Unlike the winter, Whistler’s main summer attractive appeal is its summer events and mountain biking opportunities. It’s no longer a summer resort known for attracting young adults looking to have a good time, but rather, one where families come to enjoy a weekend of relaxation while supporting friends and family in one of the many Whistler events. This is a great opportunity for owners to be leveraging their own listing by advertising on their own personal website, craigslist, social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc), or even Google Adwords.

Planning Is Important For Both Owners and Guests

As an example, you could create a simple Craigslist ad with the title, “Cozy Private Vacation Rental for Ironman Canada Participants.” Guests coming to Whistler use the Internet in different ways to research properties specific to events and leveraging the event name is a great way to attract people wanting to stay in Whistler for that exact reason. However, if you’re property is not conducive to items such as mountain bikes, perhaps you don’t want to advertise your property as being available for events like Crankworx.

2013 Whistler Summer Events

June

July

August

September

List of summer events for 2013 in Whistler

Whistler North Face Half Marathon

BC Bike Race

Bull’s-Eye Canadian National BBQ Championships

Salomon Meet Your Maker

BC Bike Race

Believe Freedom Festival

Crankworx Whistler – 10th Anniversary

RBC GrandFondo Whistler

Ironman Canada

Whistler Spirit Run

One of the main reasons leveraging events to increase bookings is a great idea is that guests traveling to a specific place for an event love to plan their travels well in advance. Events, such as Ironman Canada, are extremely popular and registration sells out quite fast. Accommodations for the event sell out equally as fast sometimes and that is why it’s important to not only advertise your property, but to also ensure you have 12 months of rates available.

Timing Is Key To Whistler Summer Reservations

When it comes to purchasing your property and maximizing rental revenue, everyone talks about location, location, location. When it comes to marketing your property it’s all about timing, timing, timing. Timing is important because as an owner you could create a limited time only sale that is strictly targeted and advertised, as an example, to Ironman or Crankworx participants. These same examples can be used an applied to any event that is happening in other resorts, such as Sun Peaks, Big White, or Mont Tremblant.

It’s also one of the reasons we discuss news that is relevant to both owners and guests in our main resorts. We want to ensure that our owners and guests receive the latest relevant business, travel, and event news in Whistler and elsewhere to ensure they’re aware of what is happening in each resort. This ultimately helps you make an informed decision on your vacation rental property. However, timing is only one part of it. Learning to optimize your property listing for event driven vacation rentals is also just as important. That’s where you close the deal!